Hi all

I am building a P-51 but I am not sure about the paint instructions from Hasegawa. The instructions tell me to paint the inside of the landing gear doors and the inside of the area of the wing where the wheels go when flying (I am sure there is a proper name for that) in the aluminum colour. I saw some pics however of a real P-51 which had those areas painted in the standard green paint. Were there differences between various planes? For whom it might interest: the plane I'm building is the mrs Bonnie.

regards,

Matthijs

To the best of my feeble recollection the landing gear wells and the inside of the cear doors was zinc chromate - here's a linkie!-

http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/01/stuff_eng_interior_colours_us.htm

Mat - Than can depend on the aircraft in question. Most I've seen do have green inside the doors, but some are bare metal. As to the "wheel bays" they too can vary, some green, some bare metal, some white regardless of the color of the inside of the doors. It is confusing, try to find a photo of the plane you are building or go with your intincts ?

Hi Matthijs,
I too have started a P-51 a "B" to be exact. I have to confirm it but I believe that the wheel well (the name you were looking for ) to be painted interior green, but the rear wall, which is, I believe, the wing spar was painted Zinc Cromate yellow. The interior of the undercarriage doors was, I think, painted in aluminium lacquer.
As I said I still have to confirm this and as Chuck says, all colours are possible. For me, unless I'm proved wrong, or find out differently, then the colours stated above are what I reckon to paint the undercarriage on my P-51B.
Mal

Hi Mal - New "A" just repainted

Hi Mat.
I found a few colour photos of Mustangs from WW2.
Hopefully they will be of some help.
Mustang under guard
P51 assembly
P51Maintenence

IIRC, all mustangs left the factory with NMF wheel wells, the only color being the main spar which was zinc chromate yellow/green. Not that I was there, mind you. Just what I read.

I also read that generally, NMF mustangs had NMF wheel wells while painted ponies had interior green wheel wells.

You will find the more you research that nobody really knows. Standards went out the window from unit to unit, to theater to theater, from what the ground crews had available to what kind of mood they seemed to be in.
The wonderful thing is that unless you have a difinitive, preferably color photo of the plane you are working on you can't go wrong. I've seen NMF, interior green and what looks to be neutral gray.
Disregard photos of restored planes for accuracy. Those paint jobs are just a bigger version of what you are doing now. Attempting to make it right based on what you know. Not what is fact.

Want a real head scratcher and probably an argument? Ask what color the cockpit floor is supposed to be.

just one last question:

what colour is the cockpit floor? :-) :-) :-) :-)

No, I dont really care about that. The kit is 1:72 so the floor isn't visible at all. I think I'll stick with what you said:

I also read that generally, NMF mustangs had NMF wheel wells while painted ponies had interior green wheel wells.

Although I have never seen a horse with landing gear......

The pics posted by the other guys (thank you guys!) seem to support this statement.


Cheers,

Matthijs

Wheel wells were painted in Aluminium or Aluminiumed lacquer or dopes. The rear face of the wheel well was also the the Main Spar and was finished in Zinc Chromate Yellow protective anti-corrosive material, bright yellow in colour F5595/33481. Landing gear, inside of the wheel well doors - aluminium. Clear lacquer (Spec AN-TT-L-51) or clear varnish (Spec AN-TT-V116) containing eight onces aluminium paste (Spec. AM-TT-A461) per unthinned gallon used. Corrosion-resistant steel parts or parts that are cadmium, zinc, or chromium plated no finish coat.

Pilots seat/seat covers Medium Green 42 Dull Dark Green FS595/34092 ANA612. Floor of cockpit Dull Metal or Wooden covered slats ANA612. Walls and bulkheads of Cockpit Yellow -Green. Yellow-Green was made of 1 gallon Zinc Chromate Primer, 1 gallon Toloune Substitue, 1 gallon Black Enamel or Paste. Originally the spec included 4oz Aluminium powder but this was later deleted. The mixed colour resulting was ANA611, FS595/34151. On P-51Ds this mixed colour was replaced by Interior Green finish which matched 34151 ANA611. Plywood floors were supplied with a protective varnish. On to this one coat of Spec. NA 2-1301 non-skid surfacer was applied. They were often painted at their units, black being the most common colour.

The anti-glare finish specified for the top of the engine cowling forward of the pilot's windshield was Dark Olive Drab 41, ANA613. The cockpit anti-glare applied to the scuttle directly over the instrument panel should have been painted with ANA612, as per specification, but in practice the ANA613 colour was carried back over the scuttle giving an uninterrupted paint line.